Well-drilling apparatus



6N0 MOM. SSheets-Sheet 1. S. A. HORTON.

I I WELL DRILLING APPARATUS.

No. 551,824. Patented Dec. 24, 1895.

a: FIGJ- F'|e-7 PM (N0 mull 3 Sheets-Sheet S; A. HORTON. WELL DRILLINGAPPARATUS.

Patented Dec. 24, 1895.

G r I vyl' I Q II Wilgesses (No Model.) 3 SheetS-Sheet 3.

' S. A. HORTON. WELL DRILLING APPARATUS.

J I 8 In" 7/ a 2 a I r g Y *1 siepkewuafloriow Wxhjasscs UNITED STATESPATENT FFICE.

STEPHEN A. HORTON, OF OLARKSVILLE, ASSIGNOR TO THE HORTON DEEP ANDARTESIAN ELL COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

WELL-DRlLLlNG APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,824, dated December24, 1895.

Application filed July 10, 1894. Serial No. 517,139. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, STEPHEN A. HORTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Olarksville, in the county of Red River and State of Texas,have invented a new and useful ell-Drilling Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to well-drilling apparatus; and it has for itsobjects to provide IO improved means for adjusting and withdrawingdrill-tools without removing the drill-rod,

to provide a folding reamer and means for adjusting the blades thereof,and to provide means for conveying water to the drill,where- I 5 by thedrillings are carried up outside of the drill-rod or barrel.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims. 1

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a drilling apparatusembodying my invention, showing the drill-rod in section.

sectional View of the lower portion of the apparatus including the core,reamer, drill-bit, packer, and connected parts. Fig. 3 is a side view ofthe packer and connected parts, the former being contracted. Fig. 4 is asectional view of the drill-socket or lower section of the drill-rod.Fig. 5 is a detail view in section of the reamer. Fig. 6 is a detailview of one of the blades of the reamer. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectionon lines 7 7 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the drill-bit.

Similar numerals of reference indicate cor responding parts in all thefigures of the drawings. v

1 designates a tubular drill-rod formed in sections, which are connectedby the couplings or unions 2, and within this drill-rod at its lower endis arranged the core 3, provided with exterior raised ribs 4. These ribsare provided with oifsets 5, the upper sides of which are cut away toform pockets 6 for the reception of the lower ends of corresponding ribs7 formed on the interior surface of the lower section 8 of thedrill-rod, said lower section performing the functions of a drillsocket.The ribs 7 are tapered or beveled at their upper extremities tofacilitate the in- Fig. 2 is atroduction into the socket of the core,and the lower sides of the offsets 5 are also beveled or inclined toform the shoulders 9. It will be seen that after the ribs 7 on thedrillsocket have been aligned with the spaces between the ribs on thecore the latter may be lowered into the drill-socket, and that saidregistration of the ribs on one member with the spaces between the ribsof the other mem- 6o ber is accomplished by the tapered upperextremities of the ribs on the socket, which, however, coact withcorrespondingly tapered lower extremities of the ribs on the core. Inthe construction illustrated in thedrawings, 6 5 however, I employ areamer 10, which is coupled to the lower end of the core and is providedwith folding blades 11, and in order to properly align the core with thedrill-socket before the reamer enters the former I provide 7 3 the bodyportion of said reamer with auxiliary ribs 12, which are aligned withand act as continuations of the ribs 4 of the core. In this case thelower ends of the said continuations or extensions 12 instead of themain portions of the ribs are tapered at their lower extremities, asshown at 13. The reamer is connected to the lower end of the core bymeans of a screw-joint 14, and both the reamer and core are hollowthroughout, their bores being in registration, and communicating withthe bore of the reamer are the lateral cavities 15,

in which are pivoted the blades 11 of the reamer, the lower portions ofsaid cavities be ing closed by walls or webs 16, which are 8 5 flushwith the inner surface of the body portion of the reamer and extendupward to intermediate points thereof. The blades 11 are preferablycurved forward toward their cutting-edges, as shown clearly in thedrawings, and at their upper ends above their pivot points they areprovided with lugs 17, upon which bears a weight or bar 18 designed tocause the extension of the blades or the expansion of the reamer whensaid blades are other- 5 wise unaffected. For instance, in lowering theimproved drilling apparatus into the drill-rod the blades 11 are foldedand held in that position until they have entered the bore of thedrill-rod, and they are thus held in a folded :00 position by the wallsof the drill-rod until they have passed below the lower end of thelowermost section, or the drill-socket. Attached to the lower end of thereamer is the drill-bit 19, comprising a perforated body portion 20, theperforations 21 of which extend to the lower end of said body portionand between the blades 22, any desired number of which may be employed.In this connection it may be noted that the number of ribs 011 theinterior of the lower section of the drill-rod must be in accordancewith the number of blades on the drill-bit in order that each of saidblades may pass down between two of the ribs of the said section of thedrillrod. For instance, a drill-bit having three blades cannot beintroduced into a drill-socket provided with two or four ribs.

The threaded socket which is formed in the lower end of the core isadapted to receive the threaded stud or projection with which theordinary form of winged drill-bit is provided, and therefore the reamerwhich is designed to form the connection between an ordinary form ofdrill-bit and the core which carries such bit is provided at one endwith a threaded stud or projection to engage said socket in the core andat the other end with a threaded socket to receive the threaded stud orprojection on the drill-bit. By this arrangement an ordinary drill-bitattached to an ordinary core or drill-rod may be supplemented by theimproved form of reamer by interposing said reamer between the bit andthe core or drill-rod. Thus the improved reamer may be usedindependently of the other parts of the apparatus and may be sold as aseparate article of manufacture.

Attached to the upper end of the core by means of an interposed coupling23 are the drill-jars Bl, said drill-jars comprising an upper sectionand a lower section 26, which are provided with interlocking fingers topermit relative vertical movement without disconnecting the members.Fixed to the said coupling adjacent to the upper end of the core is acollar 27, to which is attached the lower end of an expansible packer28, made of rubber or other ilexible material and having an upper loosecollar 28, which is slidably mounted upon the couplin g. This packer isarranged upon an enlarged portion 20 of the coupling, and said enlargedportion is tubular to agree with the bore of the core, and is providednear its upper end with inlet openings or ports 30. \Vhen the uppermovable collar 28 of the packer is elevated, as shown in Fig. 3, theflexible portion of the packer is contracted to a diameter less thanthat of the bore of the drill-rod, and the inletopenings of the ports 30are closed by the collar, and when said collar is depressed, as shown inFig. 1, the flexible portion of the packer is extended to fit tightly inthe bore of the drill-rod, and the inlet openings or ports 30 areexposed, whereby water introduced at the upper end of the drill-rod maypass down around the inclosed apparatus until stopped by said packer,when it is caused to flow through the ports or openings 30, and thencedownward through the core and pass out by way oi the cavities in thereamer, and also byway of the perforations 21 in the drillbit. Theobject in partially closing the cavities 15 is to prevent the escape ofall of the water at this point and cause a portion. thereof to seek anexit through the openings 21 to relieve the blades of the drill-bit andcarry away the drillings.

The means for operating the packer to secure the expansion orcontraction thereof, as desired, consist oi a sleeve 31 slidably fittedupon the lower member of the drill-jars and connected by means of rods32 with the slidable sleeve 28 and chains by which said sleeve 31 isconn ected to the upper member oi. the drill-jars. It will be seen thatif the uppermember of the drill-jars is elevated the chains will causean upward movement of the sleeve 81 and a corresponding upward movementof the collar 28, and hence the contraction of the packer; whereas, whenthe said upper member of the drill-jars is released, its weight willcause the depression of the sleeve 31, and hence by means of theinterposed rods 32 the corresponding depression of the collar 28, andhence the expansion of the packer.

The upper end of the drill-jars is connected to the core-stem 34:, whichin turn is connected at its upper extremity to a rope'socket attached tothe lower end of a rope or cable 30. This rope or cable, a short sectionof which is shown in the drawings, is designed to be made in sectionswhich correspond in length with the sections of the drill-rod, theterminals of such sections of the rope being fitted with bull-ropecouplings 3'7, and therefore as the drilling proceeds and sections ofdrill-rod are attached corresponding sections of the rope or cable areattached, the upper end of this rope or cable being fixed to a suitableobject at the upper end of the drill-rod to hold it in readiness forsuch attachment.

This being the construction of the improved apparatus, it will beunderstood that it necessary to remove a drill-bit for the purpose ofsharpening or replacing the same the drillrod is elevated by means ofsuitable machinery, such as aserew-jack, to remove the drill-bit fromcontact with the bottom oi. the hole, and said rod is jarred to causethe core and superjacent parts to drop sufficiently to disengage theribs of the lowermost section of the (l1'ill-1'Otlf101l1 the pockets (3of the core. As the core descends it is turned to cause the alignment ofthe ribs 7 with said section, or the drill-rod to align with the spacesbetween the ribs of the core by the inclined shoulders 9, and thereforewhen. the rope or cable is strained the packer is contracted and thecore rises without interference from the socket, the blades of thereamer being contracted by contact with the lower extremity of thedrillrod. To replace the parts, they are connected as above described.The blades of the reamer are contracted manually to adapt them to passinto the bore of the drill-rod and theparts are lowered until theenlargement 38 at the upper end of the core bears upon the upperextremities of the ribs in the socket 8. The drill-rod is then loweredslowly and at the same time rotated forward or in the direction ofdrilling, and when the blades ofthe drillbit come in contact with thebottom of the hole and are thus impeded in their movement the drill-rodturns independently thereof until the ribs 7 come in contact with thebeveled shoulders 9 and are guided downward by the shoulders until theyare in contact with the ribs 4, after which the core rotates with thedrill-rod and the latter settles until the lower ends of its ribs fitsnugly in the pockets 6, thus securely lockin g the parts in place.

It will be understood that in practice various changes in the form,proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any ofthe advantages thereof.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a well-drillingapparatus, the combination with a tubular drill-rod having a terminalsection or drill-socket provided with interior ribs, of a drill-bitsupporting core provided with ribs having ofisets recessed to formpockets for the reception of the ribs on the interior surface of theterminal section or drillsocket, drill-jars, an auger-stem, and asectional rope or cable connected by an interposed socket to the upperend of the augerstem, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a tubular drill-rod having a terminal section ordrill-socket provided with interior ribs, of a drill-bit supporting coreprovided with exterior ribs having offsets recessed to form seats forthe lower ends of the ribs on the interior surface of the terminalsection or drill-socket, the under sides of said offsets of the ribs onthe core being beveled upward and from the ribs to form the guides, arope or cable, and connections between the same and the core,substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a tubular drill rod having a terminal socket, acore fitted and removably secured in said socket and adapted to receiverotary motion from the drill-rod, and a winged drillbit adapted to beremoved from the drill rod with said core, of a reamer said socket, ahollow reamer secured to the lower end of the core and provided withlateral cavities, the lower portions of which are closed by webs flushwith the inner surface of the wall of the reamer, blades pivotallyarranged in said lateral cavities and adapted to fold thereinto, thedepth of the cavities, from the outer surface of the reamer to the outersurfaces of said webs, being equalto the width of the blades, and thewebs extending upward to intermediate points of the cavities in order toprevent an excessive discharge of water from the interior of the corethrough said cavities, means for extending the blades, a drill bitattached to the lower end of the reamer and perforated to communicatewith its bore, a packer arranged above the upper end of the core, andmeans for admitting water to the bore of the latter whereby a portionthereof escapes through the lateral cavities in the reamer and theremainder through the perforations in the drill bit, substantially asspecified.

5. The combination with a tubular drill-rod provided with a terminaldrill-socket, of a tubular-core, means for securing the core in saiddrill-socket, a reamer having a tubular body-portion attached to thelower end of the core, and having pivotal blades mounted in cavities inthe sides of the body-portion, said blades being provided with lugswhich project into the bore of the body-portion, a loose weight or bararranged in the bore of said core and engaging the lugs on said pivotalblades, and a drill-bit attached to the lower end of the reamer,substantially as specified.

6. The combination with a tubular drill-rod provided with a terminaldrill-socket, of a tubular drill-bit carrying core, means for lookingthe core in the terminal drill socket, an expansible packer arrangedabove the core, a vertically movable part or member, connections betweensaid part or member and said packer, whereby the latter is expanded bythe descent of the movable part or member and means for admitting waterto the interior of the core above said packer, substantially asspecified.

7. The combination withatubular drill-rod having a terminaldrill-socket, of a tubulardrill-bit carrying core, means for locking thecore in said drill-socket, drill-jars, the lower member of which isconnected to the core, an expansible packer having a fixed lower end andprovided with an upper slidable collar, connections between saidslidable collar and the movable member of the drill-jars, and means foradmitting water to the core above the packer, substantially asspecified.

8. The combination with a tubular drill-rod having a terminaldrill-socket, of a tubular drill-bit carrying core, means for lockingsaid core in the terminal drill-socket, a tubular coupling attached tothe upper end of the core and provided with inlet openings, drill-jarsconnected by the coupling to the core, an ex pansible packer fixed atits lower end to the coupling and provided with an upper collar slidablymounted upon the coupling and adapted to close the inlet-openingstherein when the collar is elevated, connections between the movablemember of the drill-jars and the collar to expand and contract thepacker, substantially as specified.

9. The con'ibination with a tubular drill-rod having a terminal drill-socket, anda tubular drill-bit carrying core provided with meansfor attachment to the terminal drill-socket, of an expansible packeriixed at its lower end and provided at its upper end with a slidablecollar, means for admitting water to the interior of the core above theplane of said packer when the latter is expanded, drilljars having oneof their members coupled to the up per end of the eore,a verticallymovable sleeve connected by rigid bars to the upper slidablo collar ofthe packer, flexible connections between said sleeve and the othermember of the drill-jars, and means for elevating said last mentionedmember of the drill-jars, substantially as specified.

10. The combination with a tubular drillrod having a terminaldrill-socket and a tubular drill-bit carrying core provided with meansfor attachment to said drill-socket, of drilljars, a coupling interposedbetween and con necting the lower member of the drill-jars to the upperend of the core, said coupling being tubular and provided with lateralinlet openings, an expansible packer arranged upon said coupling,attached at its lower end thereto, and provided at its upper end with acollar slidably mounted on the coupling, a sleeve mounted upon saidlower member of the drilljars and connected by rigid bars with the upperslidable collar of the packer, flexible connections between said sleeveand the upper member of the drill-jars, and means for elevating saidupper member of the drill-jars, substantially as specified.

11. The combination with a sectional tubular drill-rod having a terminaldrill-socket, of a tubular drill-bit carrying core fitting loosely inthe bore of the drill-rod, interlocking ribs on the exterior surface ofthe core and the interior surface of the drill-socket, the ribs on thecore being provided with offsets having pockets for the reception of theribs on the drill-socket, means for deflecting or partially rotating thecore when depressed below its normal position in the drill-socket todisengage said pockets from the ribs in the drillsocket, an expansiblcpacker, connections be tween the lower end of the packer and the core,said packerterminating at its upper end in a vertically movable collar,means for admitting water to the interior of the core above the plane ofthe packer, drill-jars having their lower member coupled to the upperend of the core, a sleeve slidably mounted upon the said lower member ofthe drill-ja1s and connected by rigid bars with the movable collar atthe upper end of the packer, flexible connections between the saidsleeve and the upper member of the drill-rod, anoperating-ropeor cableformed in sections corresponding in length with'the sections of thedrill-rod, and an auger stem interposed between the lower section of therope or cable and the upper member of the drill-jars, substantially asspecified.

12. The combination with a tubular drillrod having a terminaldrill-socket provided with interior ribs, of a core provided with ribshaving pockets to receive the ribs oi the drill-socket, a reamerattached to the lower end of the core and n-ovided with exterior ribs inalignment with and forming continuations of the ribs of the core, saidreamer having foldable blades arranged in cavities in the body-portionthereof, a drill-bit arranged below the rea-mer and having bladesadapted to alignwith the spaces between the ribs of the drill-socketwhen said core, reamer, and drill-bit are moved independently of thedrill-rod, and means for elevating and lowering said parts,substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN A. HORTON.

Witnesses:

JOHN NICKOLS, M. L. SIMS, Jr.

